Reviews

Ginger Labs' Notability is one of the best note-taking apps for iOS thanks to the way it harmonizes writing, drawing and recording audio. Does the Mac version follow suit?

If you're a visual thinker, prone to doodling or sketching ideas using paper and pen, you owe it to yourself to check out Notability. It's easy to type with, easy to draw with, and easy to embed recordings with, making it a versatile and truly intuitive note taking app for the Mac.

Since my early Mac-using days, I've been an avid shortcuts user — keyboard commands, QuickKeys, launchbars, you name it. I probably use my keyboard more than my trackpad for navigating through programs and windows, though I've grown to love the multitouch gestures for swiping screens on my 11-inch Air.

Given that I'm also multitasking with my iPhone almost all the time, it makes a crazy amount of sense that a launcher utility like Alfred would take advantage of that second screen to create a remote control. Enter Alfred Remote: The app uses local sharing with the Alfred app to turn your iPhone into a launchbar for your Mac.

Belkin's Charge + Sync Dock was originally designed for the iPhone 5, but it works with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus as well. If you're looking for an elegant, stylish desktop dock for your iPhone, it's worth taking a look at.

MeFOTO makes an entire array of colorful tripods equipped to tackle any terrain you may need to travel. The MeFOTO RoadTrip tripod is a nice compromise in weight and size and also converts into a monopod — or selfie stick for those who are into that kind of thing. By itself, it's capable of holding mid-size to smaller full frame DSLR cameras. Add the SideKick360 attachment, and you've got yourself a tripod setup that works great with your iPhone, too!

Ever take a selfie on your iPhone only to realize it's blurry or streaky because there's something on the lens? If so, you may be interested in the EyePatch, a case that comes with a simple microfiber-embedded switch that covers both the FaceTime (front-facing) and iSight (rear-facing) cameras. It's available for both iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 (sorry, iPhone 6 Plus users, but it's not ready for your camera quite yet).

Mail Pilot version 2.0 is now available for both iPhone and iPad and includes a lot of refinements and new features that make your inbox even easier to manage. With the addition of iCloud sync, better gestures, and enhanced navigation, Mail Pilot 2 transforms your emails into individual tasks so you can get things done even faster.

I don't drive around Boston a whole lot — the perks of working from home and living in a fairly walkable city — but when I do, it's often to specific locations: my roller derby league's practice space, "Fort Independence," for example, or my boyfriend's house. Apple provides an easy way to add bookmarks for frequent destinations, but the Maps app isn't so great at being able to see quick traffic estimations on the go. Asking Siri "How long will it take me to get to X?" will get you directions from the Maps app, but there's no quick way to preview travel time or routes.

Enter ETA: the $1 app and accompanying Notification Center widget not only stores your frequent locations, but gets accurate walking or driving time estimates for you from your favorite map app, too.

Outlook is Microsoft's relaunch of Acompli, the iPhone and iPad email app they acquired last December. It's been rebranded but it still supports not only Microsoft Exchange and Outlook mail accounts, but Google, iCloud, and Yahoo as well. For file storage, you can instantly hook into Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Box. There are focus lists and scheduling options to help you get through your inbox faster, and your calendar is only ever a tap away.

Not only does Outlook support all these services and perform all these tasks, it does so exceptionally well. So well in fact, it may be the mail app you've been waiting for.

Gorillized's Outline was developed to be a OneNote alternative before OneNote hit the Macintosh last year. It was originally designed as a mere reader of OneNote files on iPad, but turned into a full-blown editor and has since added Mac support too. That makes it an interesting alternative to both OneNote for people who don't want to part of Microsoft's ecosystem, and to Evernote for people who want something different.

I'll be frank: I hate putting cases on my iPhone. They take away the fit and feel of the device in your hand, they can be overly bulky or clunky, and they almost always get dirty. But after breaking my iPhone 6's screen, I resigned myself to using some sort of cover — no caseless fit and feel is worth a broken glass screen.

Luckily, I've found quite a few awesome iPhone 6 cases in the months since I've started rocking one, the latest of which is Case Scenario's Pantone Universe Cover + Bumper. It's stylish, quirky, and — best of all — super-comfortable to use in-hand.